Electric switch.



S. G. READ.

EIJZICTRIG SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN, 20, 1908,

Patented Mar. 9, 1909.

WVENTOH A TmRNE Y-S 2 SHBETS'SHBET l.

S. G. READ.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED Jmmq, 1908.

$1 1,878. Patented Mar. 9,1909.

9. SHEETS-SHEET 2 PATENT OFFICE.

STACEY G. new, or SPRINGFIELD, nassaonusn'r'rs.

nLEc'rnrc swrrcn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented starch 9, 190a.

a raiser: ai um u 20, 1908. Serial No. 41 1 ,eao.

To all whom it may co'ncem:

Be it known that I, Smear G. READ, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at S ringfield, in the county of Hampden and tate of Massachusetts, have invented a-new and useful Electric Switch, of which the followin is a specification.

My invention re ates, to improvements in electric switches and articularly to the arms of such switches an the fulcrums for such arms, ahd consists essentiall of ablock provided with --convergent guides, a fulcrumpocket and a pivot and of a spring-pressed,

' into such chamber,

removable arm adapted when inserted in said block or into the chamber therein to be directed to such fulcrum-pocket and pivot in and upon which it turns, regardless of the angle at which said arm may.be introduced together with such auxilia and subsidiary parts-as are needed to ma e the device practical, all as hereinafter set forth. v

The objects of my invention are, first,'t o roduce an electric-switch .which is particuarly well adapted for automobiles by reason of the fact that the switch-arm can be instantly abled to take the switch-arm with him removed and instantly replaced, so that theoperator of a machine equipped-with this switch when he leaves said machine is en-l am thus lard against unauthorized manipulation othe switch during his absence; second, to produce an electric switch, havin a detachable or removable arm, in which tie contact ,points are inclosed, concealed and protected so that the are kept free from dirt and dust to a consi erable extent and can not easily be gottenat to tamper with, and the fulcrum for said arm and the major ortion of the latter when in place are also inc iosed and protected; third; to provide such a switch.

with asuitable fulcrum for the arm and with. ppsitive means for guiding said arm to said lcrum; fourth,. to provide with suitable resilient means for assistin to hold the head of such arm in place as we as for insuring ood contacts at two points on the arm, an fifth, to produce a switch of this kind that is comparatively simple and inexpensive, is -convenient,' and wlthal is" racticable and efiicient. note by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- F re 1 is a front elevation of one embodiment of my invention com lete; Fig. 2, a

similar view after the face-p ate h asgbeen re.-

which also serve to-' such a switch I attain these obmoved; a transverse vertical section Fig. 4, a front elevation of a slightly modified form of said invention; 1g. 5, a transverse the preceding view, looking toward the left and mcluding the face -plate which is omitted from said preceding view; Fi tion of a switch disclosing sti 1 another modification; Fig. 7, a similar view without the spring, and, Fig. 8 a transverse vertical sectron through the last modification, looking toward the left. p Similar figures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

'Referrin first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be observe that I provide a block ,1, of material whichis asuitable non-conductor of electricity, on the front of which is a face-plate 2 fastened thereto f by means of screws 3-3 fasten the complete devicedn operative position. This block is substantially triangular in outline, and is open both front andback, the front opening or chamber 4 having inwardly convergent side walls wlnchfnrm guides 5-5 for the head 6, of a lever or arm 7, and unite at the bottom to form a semi-circular shoulder or pocket 8 for said head. The pocket 8 constitutes a fulcrum for the arm 7. The top of the chamber 4 is open. Within the aforesaid chamber 9 being in the fulcrum-pocket 8 and the other contacts being in the upper part of the chamber adjacent to the guides 5.- The contacts 9 and 10 are held in place by means of screws are also present for the purpose of fastenin wires .to said binding-posts, all in the usuzfi and well-known manner. The axis of the binding-post 11 for the contact 9 coincides rom rubbin on and Wearing away the block 1 between t e contacts 10, and further to 3 through such device, looking toward the left;

or binding-posts 11 and nuts12, and nuts 13 vertical section through the device shown in- 6, a rear elevaare three contacts 9 and 1010, the contact i with that of the fulcrum-pocket 8, and the i -post extends fore way to serve as Thus it will be the two contacts such fender in the present 111- the .the end of the arm 0 positc the head 6 is a forwardly projecting nob or handle 18, and a in 19 projects a .little beyondthe front sitii: of said arm adjacent to the center of the bowed )art of the spring 17 to prevent said spring rom being flattened too much and. so

in ured, as might happen in the absence of some expedient of this kind, since the spring. comes into contact with said pin whencompressed sutlicientlyansl is thereby supported against further compression .1 The spring 7 y is bowed enough to insure its compression by the face-plateZ When-the arm is in the block Assuming that the arm I is in lime in" block -l with its head 6 in the uici-unipocket Sand-the pivot-14 in the opening.16, .itwill be readily seen that said-aim must be d quitesecurely aghinst n ward'displace went through the medium 0 said pivot and owing tozthefact that the spring'17 compressed as it is between the arm and the faceplate 2, forces said arm hard against the contact 9 and either one of the contacts 10 or the fender 15 yet said arm can bft urned upon its fulcrum to. e age-said contacts 'and said-fender in the acne manner, withouttex crting a great amount offorce. The f age-J ment between the pivotjt and the 11% 6 is of such apature, however that the arm 7 can ,drawn upward-"out the block at a any time by: applying a reasonable amount of force thereto in t at direction,- and said arm is returned to operative position in .a similar manner the guides. fi-direetmg it unerringlly to its fulcrum 14 11 as the head 6 enters t e chamber 4. As an additional retaining means for ithe arm ,wlule in its'operative position, a tongue-and-grooveconnection ma bc proyide between the face-plate 2 an the spring 17; it not being particularly important which member is tongued and grooved. 1n the construction above described. the tongue, 20, is inthe s *and the groove, 21 in the face-plate, whilen the construction a own in. Figs. 4 and! this order ls reversed It isobvjous thatsyvhichever of these elements is inter ojnthg-iac'e plate, such- -.about or. s ra .rhqt'rl k p fi lace;1\jv1thout mternosing hoe to preventsaid arm withdrawn .from and I introduced hi'vhe'n a reasonable amount of tact and a iiarger t ran the others,-

seen ename s:- 1

angers v ments are found as before although some-- arranged as Wlll next be e):- v

what differently I plained. A round block, 1, is here provided, the contact 9 and pivot 14 are in the'center of said block while the contacts 10 and the fender 15 are in the lower part of the chamber 4, and the fulcrum-pocket 8 is open at the base for the passage and swing of an extension 22 from the head 6 of the arm 7, it being this extension which is designed to pass over and engage with said contacts 10 and fender 15. The operation of this switch does not differ materially from that of the switch first described, Finally in the last three views, I disclose a triangui r block I, again in the back of which isle chamber, 4 for the switch-arm 7, the top"of said block" being slotted at 23 to accommodate said arm." A plate 24 is fastened a ainst the back of the chamber! by means 0 screws 11 and nuts 12, which also hold in place a mutilated disk 25-of some thickness which forms the fulfor the rounded'head 6 of the arm 7. The plate'24 serves both as a eonfender for the switch-am, anda raised portion or protuberance 26 on said plate in the center of thefulcrum-pocket is provided to enter the opening 16 in said arm and take the place of the'piv'ot 14 in theother cases. Near the upper end of the plate 24 is a second protuberance 27 which serves as an intermediate station or stop for the switcharm, the. latter having'an opening 28 therein tov receive such protuberance. Instead of the contacts 10 two plates 29, each having a protuberance 30 adapted to enter the openmg 2 8 in the switch-awn are provided, the same being attached to the block by means of additional screws and nuts. The spring, 31', in this form of construction is not atlower and held finnly.

in position by the screws and nuts which fasten the late 24 and the mutilated disk 25 to the bloc The spring 31 is arranged to bear foreibl -on the front side of'the switch-arm when t is m plac'e, asishowmto keep such arm in position in the fulcrum-pocket on'its pivotal protuberance-.26 and to insurolgood contactswith the lates 24 and'29. 0 further the first of tiese ends ;the spring 31 and the switch arm may ed at 32 and 38f respective ing pre'ferab y'curvedtobonform to the are described-bytlie-groo'vedportion of said armf J, when swun i I th guides v '11 is used as is wired.

O enm 4'-are block as. p gs the I e dvieejis fastened-to itssup ort; suitable" are also made in-tf e latter a confines of the ny oneof the three low'er screws 11 bindin -.'post when the'switeh rovided in the passztage 'of t e screws Knot" i 1 06 taehed to the switeh-arm but instead has its and grooved as 1 yfthe tongue 32 o stings lti'ec'essalily" esiito'avoidnhore {ate} 2'4, the

- 31, in front of the lower opening 34, for the free passage of the corresponding screw.' The operation of this switch does not difier essentially from that of either of those previously described.

In the first two constructions each switcharm has a contact protuberance 35 and eachcontact 10 has an indentation 36 to receive said protuberance, which arrangement is the reverse of that in the last construction, but this is an unimportant matter since any suitable means for making. good electrical contacts may be employed and any suitable contact members as well. The number of contacts 10 or 29 need not be hunted necessarily to two for any. given switch. The.

tongue-and-groove connection may or may not be used in any or all of the switches as may be found most expedient.

Although especially well adapted for automobiles this invention is in no sense restricted to such use. Furthermore, it is to be clearly understood that I do not intend to be restricted or limited to the identical construction of any one of those herein shown and described, but seek to include whatever modifications in shape, size, andconstruction may be said fairly to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

\A hat Iclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by- Letters'Patent, is

1. The combination, in an electric'sm'tch, of a block provided with a fulcrum-pocket, a removable oscillatory switch-arm adapted when in position to utilize the walls of said pocket as an external fulcrum, and co n ver ent means to direct the fulcrum part of sai arm into such pocket.

. 2. The. combination, in an electric switch, of a blockprovidedkvith a two-part fulcrum, a removable switch-arm connectible with said fulcrum, and convergent means to direct said arm-to such connection.

3. The combination, in anelectric switch,

of a block rovided with a two-part fulcrum, a removab e spring-pressed switch-arm conneotible with said .fulcrum, and convergent means to direct said arm to such connection.

with a block provided with a'fulcrum-pocket and with convergent uides to such pocket, of a removable switc -arm having --a head adapted to be received in said pocket and to partially rotate therein, the walks of the pocket serving as a fulcrum for said arm.

5. The combination, in anelectric switch, with a block provided with a fulcrum-pocket having a central pivot therein, of a removable switch-arm having a head adapted to be mounted on said pivot and to bear against the walls of said pocket, and con ergent means to guide said arm to such pivot.

suc block, of a removable switch-arm having a head adapted to be received in said pocket andto partially rotate therein, tl.

walls of the pocket serving as a fulcrum for arm, and a tongue-and-groove connection between said spring 'and plate.

STACEY G. READ.

\Vitnesses:

A. C. FAr'izBANKs, F. A. CUTTER. j

we cut guides to such pocket, and a plate on 4. 'The combination, in an .electric switch,

6. The combination, in an electric switch,

the arm, a spring between said plate and 

